


The Butterflies I Felt

by chiiibiiichan, tootsuro



Series: HQ Swift Week 2020 [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, F/M, First Crush, First Love, First Meetings, Fluff, Friendship, High School, Love Confessions, Male-Female Friendship, Short & Sweet, Song: Everything Has Changed (Taylor Swift), Sweet, There are some scenes and lines from the manga/anime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-15
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:34:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26473477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chiiibiiichan/pseuds/chiiibiiichan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tootsuro/pseuds/tootsuro
Summary: “I just wanna know you better.”-Yachi never knew love, all she knew was being in the sidelines—an observer, a witness, never the one being seen, never the one experiencing. But he was there.Yamaguchi, scared and closed off, opened his heart to her. The connection they felt, how they grew.Their friendship and the love that sprouted. How long are you willing to wait? How high are you willing to fly?-Written for Haikyuu x Taylor Swift Week 2020 Day 3 — Album: Red ; Song: Everything Has Changed
Relationships: Yachi Hitoka & Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yachi Hitoka/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: HQ Swift Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905253
Kudos: 17





	The Butterflies I Felt

**Author's Note:**

> Links will be left for music!

Spring was done and her high school life barely starting. She kept on the low, never stood up, but somehow, deep in her heart, she had hoped of that one day she would feel like the protagonist. 

As she was staring into space during her lunch break, she was approached by a gorgeous upperclassman. Of course, she got distracted by how pretty the person in front of her, but she was also distracted by the fact that she was approached for something important. 

Yachi thought she wasn’t the type to be needed in something major like this and so it was really new to her. She stared at the paper, baffled by how she was being invited to join a club to be their manager which played a huge role for the team. 

“...How about a trial membership?” The rest of Kiyoko’s words, she didn’t hear but she immediately, she agreed. 

“S-sure!” She stuttered the words out and then Kiyoko gave her a smile that made her heart jump. 

“I’ll see you here this afternoon then!” The upperclassman told her, and then she waved goodbye before turning away and leaving her alone with the empty club application form in her hands. 

“Manager, huh?” She asked herself. “Oh no, what should I do?” She asked herself again, panic starting to rise up her throat. 

She was obviously anxious about all this, she didn’t know what to do, how was it possible for her to be wanted for this position? 

She had agreed and she felt like her senior would understand if she said no. 

But a part of her told her to give it a try, see how it works out. 

And she did. That afternoon, she had followed Kiyoko to they gym where the boy’s volleyball team were practicing. She was nervous, her hands were cold and her anxiety made her jumpy. Also, the fact that a beauty was standing next to her made her feel a little insecure too. 

“Shall we go?” She asked with a gentle smile complimenting her pretty features. Hitoka nods discreetly and kept close behind Kiyoko as she slid the door open.

“Ah! You found a new person!” A boy radiating an energetic and sported a bright smile greeted, Yachi peaked from behind the third-year. A few second years and third years approached the two girls and asked what was happening.

”Um, she’s joining the club on a trial basis as a new manager.” Shimizu introduced, cuing for her to introduce herself. 

Given her shy personality, she always stuttered out even her introduction, “I-I’m Yachi Hitoka. Nice to meet you!” Sputtering out her name and bowing swiftly. 

The other members gathered around her, impressed by the new face they were seeing. She, obviously was frightened and her hands shook a little. 

She wasn’t really good at talking to boys and so she was overwhelmed by the presence of 12 in front of her with expectant and glad looks on their faces. 

She tried to look at each of them, they didn’t look as scary as she thought, but there was one who caught her attention. One that felt like something else. 

It made her heart beat a different rhythm, it was as if her nervousness was vaporized the moment their eyes laid on each other. Her stomach flipped and then the corners of her mouth turn up into a friendly smile. 

Kiyoko puts a hand on her shoulders and that made her jump. Introductions were made and when it was the freckled boy’s turn. They both blushed at holding each other’s hand for the handshake. 

She looked at him carefully, observed how long his eyelashes were and the splash of pink on his freckle-sprinkled cheeks. His brown kinda green eyes unable to settle in one place, making her chuckle. 

He then blinked rapidly and then averted his eyes again, he then chuckled and puts his hand on the back of his head. 

“Uh, I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi.” He introduced, Yachi felt her anxiety completely wiped off and she gave him another friendly smile. 

“Hello,” She paused and they burst into gentle laughter again. She oddly felt comfortable around him and felt something bloom in her chest. 

She was definitely intrigued by [him](https://open.spotify.com/track/3Z1kZKYfRC8iRXnYeC5sCJ?si=aUdpUBzzRIeTZG9cBhFZnQ). 

* * *

Yamaguchi made a habit of hanging around the bench where Yachi sat on her first month, he made a habit of watching, listening, offering any help. Every help. 

But it's not like it meant something, no. It's not like whenever he gravitates around her it feels like he's suddenly under the warmest blanket in the middle of winter, definetly not. 

He just liked helping. Her. Helping her. 

"Yamaguchi-kun! Hello?" 

Yamaguchi blinked to see Yachi waving in front of his face, he stumbled back. Almost knocking everything to the ground.

"Y-yachi-san!" He stutters, "I didn't see you there." 

"I've been standing here for the past three minutes, are you okay?" she asks, then her brown eyes widen as her hands fly to her mouth, gasping, "Did something happen to your eyes? Are you okay? Oh my god!" 

Yamaguchi, in turn, panicked. His hands waved all around as he said, "No! No! Yachi-san, I'm okay!" 

She huffed a breath, "I'm too nervous. Here, drink some water. I know you're tired."

What was that? That sudden skip in his chest. The sudden heat that travelled from his back, to his neck, to his cheeks. It teased a smile on his lips, and he took that bottle with slightly trembling hands. 

He didn't mind feeling it. As long as it's Yachi, he didn't mind.

"Thanks, Yachi-san." 

Yamaguchi was full of stumbles and stutters, panicked sentences and cut-off thoughts. In time, he began to belong in the sidelines with Yachi, where they softly talked about their friends and volleyball. 

During games, Yamaguchi would sometimes explains some terms she couldn't understand. And for him, Yachi would be the greatest cheerleader. 

Yamaguchi was full of stumbles, and when he got called to pinch-serve for the first time, he did just that. He wasn't to blame, he knew as much, but it was still very heavy. 

He could've done better. 

He could've done more. 

He could've—

"Hey." 

Yamaguchi looks up to warm honey eyes and a soft smile, Yachi hands him a bottle of water. 

"You should rest," she says, voice so soft it felt so good to hear, "You did great today." 

"But I—" 

"I can't wait for you to save everybody next time," Yachi plows through, making no room for doubts. The determination on her face, it made his heart squeeze,

"You'll fly just as high, and I'll be there to watch." 

Yamaguchi armed himself with the Yachi's words, it paved his way to great successions. Whenever he was on the court, he'd look to the side and see her there. A reminder of what he could be, a reminder that someone important believed that he could fly. 

It was a sight to see the glitter on Yachi's eyes with every successful serve. He still stumbled, he still stuttered. He still panics and his thoughts still get cut too often. 

But he was...

He was definitely in love with her. 

* * *

The second years have graduated. Yamaguchi was captain now, and Yachi is in her second year as their official manager and is training another girl. 

It was the five of them against the world that year, that short year wherein they learned about each other more than anybody could. The growth, the adventures, the memories.

Yamaguchi kept all of it in a golden box in his chest as Yachi tried her best to list down every feeling she had felt.

He found his best friends and he found someone. He found Yachi; an inspiration, a cheerleader, the sun, rolled in one person. _His_ person.

_**Your eyes look like coming home** _

As for her, if she admits her honey eyes kept count of Yamaguchi's freckles each day, who would deny her? 

They stood on the sidelines one more time, togas neatly worn and diplomas clenched in hand. 

_**All I know is a simple name** _

"Yam—"

"Yach—"

They looked at each other with a laugh, "You go first," Yamaguchi says. 

Yachi shakes her head, blonde ponytail waving on her back, "No, you go." 

"No, really. You go first." 

"You go first, I'm okay." 

"Seriously, go first." 

Yachi looked at him with dead eyes but amused pink lips, Yamaguchi chuckles with a hand on neck.

_**You'll be mine and I'll be yours** _

"I like you." 

"I like you." 

Their eyebrows rose and surprised comored their faces. Yachi covered her face with a squeak, "Wait, really? I could take it back!" 

"What? No!" Yamaguchi flails, face red as a beet with a raging heartbeat, "I'm serious! Don't take it back." 

_**All I know** _

Yachi peeks behind her fingers, "Really?" 

The way moss green and honey eyes met, the way soft smiles sided with awkward grins.

Green head and yellow hair. Raging heartbeats and clumsy hands. Stray gazes and catching feelings. 

_**Since yesterday** _

"Really."

She smiled so brightly and he felt so warm.

The first time they held hands was the last time they walked out of the first place they first met.

An observer turned protagonist. A stranger turned leader. Love was not so hard to find in the sidelines.

_**Everything has changed** _

**Author's Note:**

> yamayachi *holds gently with teary eyes*—chiiibiiichan
> 
> Our first hetero pairing Fic! The way this actually gave me butterflies too. I’m soft for this ship agh. -Tootsuro


End file.
